How to Type Faster
Transform from hunt-and-peck to touch typing mastery with proven techniques
Master the Home Row First
Everything starts with the home row—the foundation of touch typing. Your fingers rest here between keystrokes and return here after reaching other keys.
Pro Tip: Feel those small bumps on F and J? They're positioning guides. Your index fingers should always find these bumps without looking. That's your anchor.
Never Look at Your Keyboard
This is the hardest rule and the most important one. Looking at the keyboard is the single biggest barrier preventing you from reaching high speeds.
Why this matters:
- • Looking down breaks your rhythm and forces you to refocus
- • You lose your place on screen and waste time relocating
- • Physical limit: You can't type faster than ~40 WPM while looking
- • Touch typing unlocks 60-100+ WPM speeds
Training Exercise:
Cover your keyboard with a cloth or cardboard for 10-minute practice sessions. Yes, you'll make more mistakes initially. Yes, it feels frustrating. But this forces your brain to build muscle memory fast. After 2-3 weeks, you'll never need to look again.
Accuracy Before Speed
Fast typing with 70% accuracy is slower than moderate typing with 98% accuracy. Here's why accuracy must come first:
- • Type fast, make mistakes
- • Stop, look, backspace, correct
- • Lose rhythm and momentum
- • Build bad muscle memory
- • Result: 45 effective WPM
- • Type deliberately, hit right keys
- • Maintain steady rhythm
- • Rarely need to backspace
- • Reinforce correct patterns
- • Result: 65 effective WPM
Target milestone: Achieve 95% accuracy first, then gradually increase speed while maintaining that accuracy. Speed will come naturally as muscle memory solidifies.
Use the Right Finger for Each Key
Touch typing assigns specific keys to specific fingers. Breaking these rules caps your speed because your hands have to travel further and work harder.
Practice Smart, Not Hard
Effective practice beats marathon sessions. Here's how to structure your practice for maximum improvement:
Consistency beats intensity. Daily practice builds muscle memory better than weekend marathons. Your brain consolidates skills during sleep, so daily sessions compound faster.
Begin every session with Easy difficulty to warm up. Then progress to Medium, then Hard. This builds confidence and gradually challenges your skills.
Take 3-5 tests per session. Your first test is often slower as you settle in. Track your average, not your best, to measure true skill.
Shake out your hands, stretch your fingers, look away from the screen. This prevents strain and keeps you sharp. Tired fingers make more mistakes.
Understanding Your Results
WPM (Words Per Minute)
Your effective typing speed accounting for errors. This is the standard measurement used by employers.
Accuracy
Percentage of characters typed correctly. Critical for professional work.
Raw WPM
Your typing speed without subtracting errors. Shows your maximum potential speed before accuracy corrections.
Consistency
How steadily you maintain speed throughout the test. High consistency indicates reliable technique and stamina.
Ready to Improve Your Typing?
The fastest way to improve is through deliberate practice. Start with a 1-minute test to establish your baseline, then practice daily to watch your speed soar.
Take the 1 Minute Test